North Point State Park Beach
Edgemere, MD
North Point State Park sits on the Chesapeake at the edge of Black Marsh, a 667-acre wildlands area, with the ruins of a turn-of-the-century amusement park still scattered along the approach. The beach itself, part sand and part rock, is a quiet afterthought to the trails and marsh views for most visitors, which is exactly what keeps it uncrowded.
The old amusement park ruins and marsh trails make this a genuinely interesting walk, but the beach itself is secondary and takes real effort to reach.
How we score beachesWalk the old trolley line trail out to the beach rather than driving straight to the water. It passes the amusement park ruins most people come here to see.
A lot near the park entrance on Bay Shore Road serves the trails and beach alike, free to park.
The walk from the lot to the beach is close to a mile on a flat gravel trail, not a direct drive-up beach.
Summer water temperatures reach the mid 70s, with no lifeguards on duty at any point in the season. Fall and winter walks through Black Marsh draw more birders than swimmers.
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